The Wreckage

Facts and information about the wreckage of Titanic. Location, Discovery by Dr. Robert Ballard, Relics, artefacts and Titanic Tours. Great information for teachers, students and historians.

Titanic: One of the great mysteries of the twentieth century is solved

It is a quiet and peaceful place - and a fitting place for the remains of this greatest of sea tragedies to rest.

— Robert Ballard

After 73 years, one of the great mysteries of the twentieth century is solved

On the first of September 1985 one of the greatest mysteries of the twentieth century was solved as three supercharged lights strained to break through the murky depths of the Atlantic Ocean floor to reveal a sharp mass rising up from below which clearly did not fit with its surroundings. Those lights were attached to a tiny three man deep-water submarine called Alvin captained by Dr. Robert Ballard a renowned oceanographer and underwater archaeologist and that sharp mass was the bow of the Titanic.

Dr. Robert Ballard is probably greatest marine archaeologists of all time.

Within moments Ballard and his crew realized they were the first people to lay eyes on the Titanic in over 73 years. As they confirmed portholes, cabins and items that correlated perfectly with blueprints of Titanic.

Alvin Drifted alongside the rusted mass of the bow of the Titanic for nearly an hour before technical issues and Mother Nature deemed it must make its two and a half hour ascent to share this news with the world.

News Report September 4, 1985 - Titanic is discovered

This successful voyage was the bottom of the ocean floor was the culmination of many failures, hunches and research Ballard and many others had dreamt of from the moment the Titanic slipped towards it's icy grave on April 14th 1912.

Texan oil millionaire Jack Grimm had funded a series of searches for Titanic prior to Ballard's successful expedition six years earlier but similar to his efforts to locate Noah's Ark, the Loch Ness Monster and Big Foot the Titanic refused to share its secrets with the world. Grimm grew increasingly frustrated with his search for the Titanic as it was an object that had to exist and the reports and data he had relied upon from the Carpathia - The ship that was first on the scene after Titanic's sinking were eventually proven to be inaccurate by approximately 22 kilometres. (13.5 Miles)

How deep is the titanic Wreckage?

The wreck of the RMS Titanic lies at a depth of about 12,500 feet (3.8 km; 2.37 mi), about 370 miles (600 km) south-southeast off the coast of Newfoundland.

Who found the TItanic wreckage?

Seventy-three years after the ship sunk, a conjoined U.S. and French expedition located the wreckage of the RMS Titanic. Led by Dr. Frank Ballard, the infamous wreck was found approximately 400 miles east of Newfoundland,

Recent Footage of the Titanic Wreck

Ballard's first discovery was that the Titanic was not in one piece and was in a heavily rusted state. The Bow and stern were separated by approximately 640 metres (2000 feet.) which instantly ruined some misguided dreams of refloating her as a living museum. Scientists had theorized that due to the depths and temperature of ocean in the region that Titanic lay it may have avoided the ravages of corrosion, wood disintegration and possibly even may contain some well-preserved skeletons. This was not the case.

The course Titanic was intending to take

The discovery of the wreckage silenced many of the conspiracy theories and myths surrounding the sinking of Titanic. The first being its location. The Titanic lay in three locations at a depth of 3840 metres (12,600 feet) at the following coordinates.

Alvin explores the bridge area of Titanic

The stern lies at: 41°43'35" N 49°56'54" W

The boilers lay at: 41°43'32" N 49°56'49" W

The bow lies at: 41°43'57" N 49°56'49" W

The Titanic was found at an incredible depth and this diagram goes some way to explaining why it took 73 years for technology to provide us with the tools to locate it.

The reason Titanic was so hard to find was in part due to the fact it lay in some of the deepest waters on the planet.

Some items have been salvaged from the wreck of the Titanic which has caused an element of debate about whether the Titanic should remain untouched as a memorial to those died on board or if these items teach us a great deal more about Titanic on display in Museums and exhibitions around the world.

Robert Ballard Speaks at a TED Conference about the importance of underwater exploration.